If you’re a soccer fan, a transfer junkie, or even a Premier League aficionado, you probably know who Jonathan Barnett is. He’s been at the centre of several transfer (and non-transfer) sagas over the years, and his impact on the world of soccer is undeniable.
But do we know who Barnett really is? Here, we’ll take a look at his early life, his success in soccer, and some of the biggest storylines that surrounded him until the day of his retirement. He didn’t step away without leaving a legacy, however. Under his agency, he built a client list featuring some of the brightest young talents not only in the Premier League but in European soccer as a whole.
Barnett’s first steps as a soccer agent
Born on January 28, 1950, Barnett didn’t gain notoriety in the soccer world until he was in his 40s. He’s known for having a casino-related background due to family businesses, but he got into the sporting world when he founded the Stellar Group talent agency in 1992, although he didn’t start with soccer.
Stellar’s first clients were Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis during their controversial 1992 tour of England. However, it was West Indian Brian Lara who helped the agency really make its mark and start making some noise in the industry.
The Ashley Cole controversy that made him world-famous
Barnett’s name rose to international fame in 2006, when he was given a 12-month ban by the Football Association for arranging a secret meeting between his client, Ashley Cole, and Chelsea, when the player was still under contract at Arsenal. Those negotiations were forbidden at the time, and aside from the ban, it also resulted in Barnett paying a £100,000 fine (around CA$210,000 at the time). However, in the end, everything worked out for the parties involved, as Cole ended up leaving Arsenal and signing for Chelsea.
His impact on English soccer is undeniable
Barnett’s fingerprints are all over English soccer. According to a report from The Guardian, and based on data from the late 1990s onward, almost every England squad contained several of Barnett’s players, including Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Kieron Dyer, Darren Bent, Mason Mount, and Ben Chilwell, just to name a few.
Even with the rise of American agents in English soccer, Barnett remains a dominant presence. The likes of Jordan Pickford, Jack Grealish, Ivan Toney, and Dean Henderson, all players who have a realistic shot of representing England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, are on the company’s books. The agency is now known as CAA, but we’ll get to that later.
The biggest move of his career: Gareth Bale to Real Madrid
At the peak of his career as a soccer agent, Barnett masterminded the move that sent Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for an £86 million fee (roughly CA$138.5 million at the time). That remains one of the most expensive transfers in soccer, but Bale wasn’t Barnett’s only high-profile client. Several other Premier League stars were represented by him, including but not limited to Joe Hart, Saul Niguez, Luke Shaw, Glen Johnson, and Cole.
Bale’s move to Real Madrid ended on a sour note, and Barnett had a role to play in the player’s departure from Valdebebas. The super-agent engaged in a widely known public argument with the club’s manager, Zinedine Zidane, whom he accused of freezing Bale out. Whether Barnett’s claims were justified or not, his antics rushed Bale’s departure from Los Merengues. Still, the player departed with an extraordinary resume: 16 trophies with the club, including three La Liga titles and five Champions League trophies. Bale would go on to have a short career following his Real Madrid tenure until finally retiring in 2023.
Barnett was no Jorge Mendes, who represented players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, and Angel Di Maria. However, he was one of the most recognized soccer agents in the world. Although over time, he started to lose some of the direct influence he had due to some non-soccer-related scandals. The Stellar Group was acquired by ICM Partners in 2020 and then sold to the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2022.
Barnett was also named the world’s No. 1 sports agent by Forbes in 2019.
Retirement and post-career life
Barnett eventually retired as a sports agent in 2024, but his legacy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Joshua Barnett carries on his vision as Managing Director of CAA Stellar. The agency remains one of the biggest in the soccer world, with one of the most impressive client lists in the industry.
Just look at some of the players currently under the wing of CAA Stellar: Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Fermin Lopez (FC Barcelona), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), and Liam Delap (Chelsea), just to name a few. According to Transfermarkt, 13 of CAA’s players are valued at €30 million (about CA$48.8 million) or higher.
Undoubtedly, he’s a complete character who doesn’t leave any soccer fan indifferent. Known as one of the pioneers in the world of super-agents, his legacy will continue to live not only in England but across Europe, even if he’s no longer an active agent. His legacy continues through CAA Stellar Sports, which manages over 800 athletes across several sports. He’s widely recognized among analysts and experts as a key figure who helped mould the modern transfer market.
With his agent days all but over, Barnett’s current relevance remains tied not only to the agency but to the transfer market as a whole. Even though he’s no longer negotiating direct deals for the agency, his strategic oversight at CAA Stellar Sports ensures its dominance as one of the top agencies in the world.
